INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - An imam disputes American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh's claim that Islam requires him to do his ritual daily prayers as part of a group, even though he's in prison. Ammar Amonette testified Tuesday in federal court in Indianapolis that he and Lindh adhere to the same Hanbali school of Islam and that it excuses followers from praying in groups if it isn't possible.

Amonette leads a mosque in Richmond, Va. Amonette's testimony comes on the second day of trial in Lindh's lawsuit challenging a rule allowing only supervised group prayer at the tightly controlled federal prison unit in Terre Haute, Ind., where he's serving a 20-year sentence. The government says it can't allow daily group prayer because of security concerns and because it doesn't employ enough Muslim chaplains.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Some experts say the Army psychiatrist charged in the Fort Hood shooting rampage might face a harsher jury if he's allowed to break Army policy and attend his murder trial with a beard. And if Hasan's beard isn't forcibly shaved beard as the judge wants, that could be grounds for an appeal if he's convicted and sentenced to death for the 2009 attack that killed 13 on the Texas Army post.

Experts say military juries don't like to see defendants disobeying a rule. Hasan says his newly grown beard is an expression of his Muslim faith. The issue is far from over because a military appeals court says the judge hasn't yet issued a definitive order for Hasan to be forcibly shaved - so Hasan's appeal was premature.

NEW YORK (AP) - Major indexes are ending the day little changed after a mixed pair of economic reports kept the stock market hovering near break-even. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 22 points to close at 13,103.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost one point to 1,409. The Nasdaq gained four points to 3,077. House prices increased in all major cities in June, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index. The Conference Board said consumer confidence in August fell to its lowest point since November 2011. Crude oil crept above $96 a barrel as Hurricane Isaac gathered speed in the Gulf of Mexico, where roughly one-quarter of the country's oil is produced. Four stocks rose for every three that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading volume was thin  at 2.6 billion.